I was the emperor in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 121
If power is a tower, then the emperor is the spire.

The spire is high and unique, and the spire is admired and contemplated by thousands of people.

Mo Chaoxian, the minister of Honglu Temple, was a Jinshi in the Bingxu Division in the fourth year of Yongle.In the same year, when everyone could only edit sitting wax in the Hanlin Academy, Mo Chaoxian took the post of Si Cheng, the sixth-rank Shangbao Division of Honglu Temple, which can be said to be the leader and show off the limelight.

But life is uncertain, fate is impermanent, and time flies by for 18 years.

Some of Mo Chaoxian's contemporaries became great officials in one side of the frontier, and some officials worshiped the three divisions and six departments and were awarded the position of third-rank ministers.

Only Mo Chaoxian has not moved in 18 years.Relying on his four-year seniority as a Jinshi in Yongle, he replaced the sixth-rank official hat on his head with a fourth-rank official hat, which became a living sign of Honghe Temple, and was also nicknamed Mo Honglu by all officials.

The back corridor of the thousand-step corridor, the backyard of the yamen of Honglu Temple.

Mo Honglu, who is over 40 years old, is squatting on the ground, sticking out his buttocks, holding a piece of thatch in his hand, and teasing the crickets in the cage vigorously.

With the sound of footsteps, Shu Benqian tiptoed into the courtyard gate, and whispered from a distance:

"My lord, I have informed the envoys of all countries to enter the palace for a banquet in half an hour."

Hearing the sound, Mo Chaoxian stood up, casually put thatch in his mouth, and said angrily with his hands behind his back:
"How many times have I told you to call Brother Xian, Brother Xian, do you take my words as wind?"

Shu Ben smiled modestly and remained silent. My adults are all good, but they don't accept old age. He is 50 or [-] years old and wants to be a brother in front of his subordinates.

Knowing that Shu Benqian was also afraid of Yu Shi's impeachment, Mo Chaoxian didn't hold back, and sat down on the rocking chair beside him and said:

"You can go to the palace banquet tonight for me."

"Ah, my lord." Shu Benqian opened his mouth wide in surprise, and quickly bent down in front of Mo Chaoxian:
"Brother Xian, the emperor asked Honglu Temple and the chief officials of the Ministry of Rites to accompany him, so what's the matter with a fifth-rank Shaoqing?"

Shu Benqian called Mo Chaoxian, who was called Brother Xian, his heart was flattered, he casually spat out the thatch in his mouth, kicked his feet on the ground and said leisurely:
"Ben Qian, you have done a good job in your job, but your eyelids are too shallow. Those envoys have been staying for five days. The emperor doesn't even talk about rewards, and they don't even have a will. You can't see what the emperor means?"

How could Shu Benqian not know, but if the boss wants to pretend to be aggressive, he should be a good flatterer as a subordinate.

"I don't know, please brother Xian teach me."

"I have been in the officialdom for more than 20 years, and you still have a lot to learn." Tilting his head, Mo Chaoxian pursed his lips and said:

"Listen well, the emperor is establishing his own authority. The late emperor took care of the foreign envoys in every possible way, but the emperor did the opposite and ignored them in order to let all the officials understand that the late emperor is a thing of the past."

"So that's how it is." Shu Benqian suddenly realized, and murmured in a low voice:

"The lower officials thought that the emperor was dissatisfied with Director Zheng."

"You're talking nonsense. The title of General of the Eight Guards is hanging. Which eye do you see that the emperor is dissatisfied with Zheng He? Brother Lai Xian will tell you what is the emperor's heart."

Shu Benqian had a quarrel with Deng Changfu at the embassy, ​​and Deng Changfu waited to go to the palace to file a complaint with his stomach full of anger. Before the carriage from Honglu Temple came to pick him up, he led his entourage into the palace alone.

In the Hall of Lizheng, the eunuchs of the Imperial Catering Supervisor were busy setting up a banquet, and in the apse, Li Tianzheng was talking to Zheng He in ordinary clothes.

Hearing Zheng He say that the people in Qingqingfang have been settled properly, Li Tian nodded in satisfaction, glanced at the big hourglass beside him and said:

"Uncle Bao, it's almost time, join me in the table."

"Your Majesty isn't changing?"

"What more clothes?" Li Tian curled his lips indifferently, and walked out:

"A bunch of small countries, it would be nice for me to spare time to prepare a palace banquet to entertain them."

It's not that Li Tian looks down on friends who come from afar, but that Li Tian knows it too well.Those small countries didn't really submit to them at all, they said they went up to the heaven one by one in a fake way, all for rewards.

As the time for the palace banquet approached, the eunuchs of the Imperial Catering Supervisor were even more busy.Although the level of the palace banquet this time is not as good as before, but after all, facing the foreign envoys, there is no room for any mistakes in all aspects.

Three gongs sounded, the door of the palace opened wide, and the envoys from the nine countries who had been impatient for a long time rushed in.

Seeing the majestic and magnificent hall, the exquisite and attractive food, smiles appeared on the faces of all the envoys, and the emperor of Ming Dynasty was as enthusiastic as ever.

Seeing that Li Tiangao was sitting on the throne, the envoys of the nine countries rushed to bow down and shouted "Long live Your Majesty".

Reaching out without hitting the smiling face, Li Tian also stood up, put on a smile and said slowly:

"Everyone has come from afar, so there is no need to be formal."

It was another salute, and all the envoys from the nine countries attended the table.

In a blink of an eye, Li Tian frowned blankly when he looked at the accompanying official seat on the left.

What happened to Deng Shiyan and Mo Chaoxian? Why didn't either of them come.

Seemingly realizing that the emperor was dissatisfied, Zuo Shaoqing Shu Benqian of Honglu Temple hurriedly got up and said:
"Your Majesty, Mr. Mo did not know what he ate at noon. He suffered from dysentery and was unable to come to the banquet. I hope His Majesty will forgive you."

Kuang Zhong, the servant of the Ministry of Rites who came to the banquet at the side, immediately got up when he saw this, bowed and saluted:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Deng Shangshu also has a stomachache and is unable to come to accompany him. He specially ordered this humble minister to come and plead guilty to His Majesty."

"Oh?" Li Tian frowned, and said with a half-smile:
"From your point of view, Deng Aiqing and Mo Aiqing ate in the same bowl at noon?"

"I don't know about this humble minister." Shu Benqian replied with some embarrassment.

Li Tian couldn't care less about foreigners from other countries here, so he snorted coldly, and turned to wink at Jiang Bao who was waiting by the side.

Jiang Bao knew it well, and immediately arranged for the dancers to enter the venue to add to the fun.

Dressed in various gauze dresses, the graceful dancer entered the hall, and the atmosphere suddenly became much more heated.

The dancers in the palace were managed by the Jiaofang, and most of them were the wives of corrupt officials. They were not only proficient in playing piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, but also had a ladylike appearance.

All the foreign envoys had never seen this before, and they were about to get up and dance with it, and the eunuchs who were waiting on the side hurried forward to stop it.

After a welcome dance, the dancers waved their sleeves and left the stage one after another, and all the foreign envoys licked their mouths with unsatisfactory expressions.

Shu Benqian was not forgotten by Deng Changfu during the Champa Kingdom. As soon as the dancers left, they jumped out and said:

"Your Majesty the Emperor of China, Deng Changfuzhong brings you the highest respect on behalf of the Champa Kingdom."

After Deng Changfu finished speaking, the attendants at the side took out the list of tribute from their arms, and presented it to the imperial eunuch respectfully.

Li Tian was a little surprised at how foreigners could speak Chinese, but when he heard the word Champa, he immediately understood that he was the ancestor of the later generations of Vietnam.

(End of this chapter)